Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42324375›Full record

ReviewJournal of robotic surgery2026

Emerging robotic platforms in urologic surgery: a bibliometric and visualization analysis of global trends and research hotspots.

Changhong Xu, Hanxue Zheng, Jiangwei Man, Li Yang

Abstract readReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of robotic surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Changhong Xu *Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, Gansu Province Clinical Research Center for Urinary System Disease, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, 730030, Gansu, China.
Hanxue Zheng *Cuiying Biomedical Research Center, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, 730030, Gansu, China.
Jiangwei ManDepartment of Urology, Institute of Urology, Gansu Province Clinical Research Center for Urinary System Disease, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, 730030, Gansu, China. 1592944310@qq.com.
Li YangDepartment of Urology, Institute of Urology, Gansu Province Clinical Research Center for Urinary System Disease, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, 730030, Gansu, China. ery_yangli@lzu.edu.cn.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1151-5942

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Robot-assisted surgery has become an important component of modern urologic practice, and the emergence of alternative robotic platforms has accelerated platform diversification beyond the conventional da Vinci multiport ecosystem. However, the global research landscape and evidence evolution of emerging robotic platforms in urology remain incompletely characterized. Publications related to emerging robotic platforms in urology were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection from inception to May 15, 2026. After screening, 264 articles and reviews were included. CiteSpace and bibliometrix were used to analyze publication trends, geographic and institutional contributions, collaboration networks, co-cited references, journals, keyword evolution, burst terms, and thematic structure. Annual output remained limited before 2021 but increased rapidly thereafter, reaching the highest levels in 2024 and 2025. Italy, China, and Japan were the most productive countries, whereas the United States showed the highest betweenness centrality in the country collaboration network. Research activity was concentrated in several high-volume institutions, including Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, IRCCS Policlinico Gemelli, Kobe University, and Peking University. Co-cited references were mainly published after 2022, indicating a recently formed and rapidly evolving knowledge base. Keyword analyses showed that current research is centered on robotic surgery, radical prostatectomy, prostate cancer, outcomes, complications, Hugo RAS, learning curve, and partial nephrectomy. The evidence structure was uneven across procedures: robot-assisted radical prostatectomy represented the most mature application area, whereas partial nephrectomy, cystectomy, adrenalectomy, pyeloplasty, and reconstructive procedures remained largely supported by feasibility studies or early clinical cohorts. Emerging topics such as artificial intelligence, telesurgery, and virtual reality appeared as niche themes, suggesting future directions for digitally integrated robotic surgery. Overall, research on emerging robotic platforms in urology is transitioning from early feasibility reporting toward outcome assessment and platform-specific comparison, but multicenter validation, long-term follow-up, learning-curve assessment, and cost-effectiveness evidence remain insufficient.

Indexed as

BibliometricsRobotic Surgical ProceduresUrologic Surgical ProceduresHumansBibliometric analysisBibliometrixCiteSpaceEmerging robotic platformHinotoriHugo RASNovel robotic platformRobot-assisted surgeryUrologyVersius

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.